Draft connection



Oct. ll, 1955 E. P. KINNE DRAFT CONNECTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 DriginalFiled March 18, 1946 nited States lPatent i DRAFT CONNECTION Edmund P.Kinne, Northbrook, lll., assiguor to American Steel Foundries, Chicago,Ill., a corporation of New Jersey Original application March 18, 1946,Serial No. 655,145,

now Patent No. 2,589,264, datedMarch 18, 1952. Divided and thisapplication July 28, 1951, Serial No. 239,156

Claims. (Cl. 213-72) This invention relates to couplers and moreparticularly to a novel improved coupler construction for railway cars.The present application is a division of my copending application SerialNo. 655,145, led March 18, 1946, now Patent Number 2,589,264, issuedMarch 18, 1952.

A general object of the invention is to devise a coupler shank andbearing block assembly wherein resilient means are provided formaintaining the bearing block in frictional engagement with the couplershank within its pin opening, the block and shank being formed andarranged to define a pin hole.

A further object of the invention is to interlock the resilient meanswith the bearing block in such manner as to accommodate slidableengagement between the shank and the resilient means during certainangular movement of the shank with respect to its pivot pin.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a novel pivotalconnection between the coupler shank and the coupler yoke wherein theshank is provided with a pin opening and a pin bearing block mountedtherewithin for arcuate face engagement with the pin and the shank,thereby accommodating vertical and horizontal angling of the couplershank while maintaining a relatively snug connection between the shankand the pin, means being provided for maintaining the pin bearing blockin assembled relationship with the coupler shank during assembly anddisassembly thereof with respect to the yoke portion ofthe two-piececoupler structure.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention willbecome apparent from a consideration of the following specification andthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a top plan view of the novel device as applied to a standardrailway car, portions of the structure being shown in horizontalsection;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Figure l with aportion of the structure illustrated in central vertical section, asindicated by the line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figures 3 to 5 inclusive illustrate in detail the manner in which thecoupler bearing block is mounted within the coupler shank, Figure 3being a fragmentary top plan View of the shank with the bearing blockapplied thereto, Figure 4 being a side elevation of the structure shownin Fig ure 3, and Figure 5 being a sectional View taken in the verticalplane indicated by the line 55 of Figure 4.

Describing the invention in detail and referring first to Figures l and2, the invention is illustrated as applied to a standard car body 2comprising front and rear draft lugs 4 and 6 (Figure l) adapted toengage a conventional draft gear diagrammatically indicated at 8. Thedraft gear is housed within a yoke 10, said draft gear being inengagement with a special follower 14 normally adapted to abut the frontdraft lugs 4. It will be understood that under normal conditions thedraft gear 8 bears at its rear extremity against the rear draft lugs 6.However, under pulling conditions the draft gear may be compressed andmay become disengaged from the rear draft lugs 6.

2,720,32 l Patented Oct. 11, 1955 The coupler generally designated 16comprises a shank 18 supported by a carrier generally designated 20(Figure 2). The carrier comprises a casting 22 mounted as at 24 on thecar body 2, the front draft lugs 4 being preferably formed on saidcasting. A carrier plate 26 is supported by springs 28 mounted on thecasting 22, and the carrier plate 26 engages the shank 18 to afford aresilient support therefor, the shank 18 being slidable against theplate 26 during horizontal or lateral angling of the shank, ashereinafter described.

The shank 18 adjacent the rear extremity thereof is provided with a pinopening 3l) receiving a pivot pin 32 and a pin bearing block 34 incomplementary arcuate face engagement at 36 (Figures l and 2) with thepin 32 and in complementary arcuate face engagement at 38 (Figure 2)with the coupler shank which is in spherical face engagement as at 46(Figures 1 and 2) with the follower 14 along complementary Convex,concave surfaces. The pin is received within openings 42 through theyoke and is supported by a retainer plate 44 (Figure 1). Thus the yoke10 affords a pocket for the rear end of the coupler shank 18 which bearsagainst the follower 14 which may be regarded as the rear wall of thepocket.

It will be understood that during horizontal or lateral angling of thecoupler shank 18, the bearing block 34 slides as at 36 against the pin32 and the shank 18 slides as at 4i) against the follower 14. The pin32, under these conditions, may be rotated to some extent by frictiondeveloped at 36. During vertical angling of the shank 18, the shankslides as at 38 and 40 against the block 34 and the follower 14respectively.

Referring now to Figures 3 to 5 which illustrate in detail the mountingof the bearing block 34 within the pin opening 30 in the shank 18, itwill be seen that the shank 18 is recessed as at 46 (Figure 5) withinthe opening 3i) to afford a pocket for a spring 48 which urges the block34 laterally within the opening 30, thereby maintaining the block 34 inassembled relationship within said opening during assembly anddisassembly of the shank 18 and yoke it). ln this connection it may benoted that the recess at 46, as best seen in Figure 4, is so shaped asto accommodate sliding of the spring 48 against the shank 1S duringvertical angling of the latter with respect to the pin 32, as abovedescribed.

I claim:

l. ln a coupler mounting, a coupler pocket, a coupler shank receivedtherewithin, pivot means securing said shank within said pocket, saidshank being capable of angling about said pivot means in both verticaland horizontal directions, complementary convex, concave abuttingsurfaces on the end of said shank and the rear wall of said pocketrespectively, a bearing block housed within said shank and interlockedtherewith against substantially relative movement during angling of saidshank in one only of said directions, said block having convex, concaveengagement at its rear extremity with said shank along surfacesconcentric with said first-mentioned surfaces, and said block havingengagement at its forward extremity with said pivot means and beingslidable thereagainst during angling of said shank in saidlast-mentioned direction, and resilient means housed within said shankand compressed thereagainst and against a side of said blockintermediate said extremities thereof for urging the latter into snugengagement with a complementary surface of said shank, whereby saidblock is maintained in assembled relationship within said shank duringassembly and disassembly of said pivot means with respect thereto.

2. In a device of the class described, a coupler pocket defined by arear wall and spaced walls with aligned pin openings therethrough, acoupler shank comprising on the inner end thereof a surface engagingsaid rear wall along Complementary convex, concave areas, a pin openingthrough said shank, a pin extending through all of said openings, saidshank being capable of vertical and horizontal pivotal movement withinsaid pocket, a bearing block within the last-mentioned opening havingcomplementary convex, concave face engagement at one end of said blockwith said shank along surfaces concentric with said areas, said blockhaving complementary cylindrical face engagement at its opposite endwith said pin and being interlocked with said shank againstsubstantially relative movement with respect thereto during pivotalmovement thereof in one plane, and resilient means compressed againstsaid shank at one side of said last-mentioned opening and against theadjacent side of said block intermediate its ends to maintain the latterin assembled relationship within said last-mentioned opening duringassembly and disassembly of said pin.

3. In a coupler mounting, a coupler shank, a member in complementaryspherical face engagement with the rear end of said shank, a yokeembracing the rear end of said shank, aligned vertical openings throughsaid yoke and said shank, a substantially vertical pin extending throughsaid openings to afford a pivotal connection between said yoke and saidshank, a pin bearing block in said shank opening, said block being incomplementary spherical face engagement at the rear extremity thereofwith said shank, and said block being in complementary cylindrical faceengagement at the front end thereof with said pin whereby vertical andhorizontal angling of said shank relative to said yoke is accommodated,and spring means in said shank opening compressed against said shank andagainst a side of said block intermediate its ends to maintain thelatter in assembled relationship with said shank during removal andinsertion of said pin.

4. In a coupler mounting, a coupler shank, a member in complementaryspherical face engagement with the rear end of said shank, a yokereceiving the rear end of said shank, a substantially vertical pinextending through aligned openings in said yoke and said shank to afforda pivotal connection therebetween, a pin bearing block in said shankopening, said block being in cylindrical face engagement and sphericalface engagement at opposite ends thereof with said pin and said shankrespectively, and spring means in said shank opening compressed againstsaid shank and a side of said block intermediate said ends thereof tomaintain the latter in assembled relationship within said shank openingduring removal and insertion of said pin.

5. A coupler shank and bearing block assembly comprising a coupler shankwith an opening therethrough, an arcuate face at the rear extremity ofsaid opening, a bearing block in said opening having an arcuate facecomplementary to and seated against the first-mentioned face,

opposed arcuate surfaces on said block and shank respectively defining apin hole, and spring means compressed between said shank and one side ofsaid block.

6. A coupler shank and bearing block assembly comprising a coupler shankhaving an opening therethrough and having an arcuate face at the rearextremity of said opening, bearing block means in said opening having auarcuate face complementary to and seated against the first-mentionedface, opposed arcuate surfaces on said block means and shank,respectively, said opposed surfaces defining a pin hole, and springmeans compressed between the said shank and block means and reactingtherebetween in a line of force forwardly of said faces.

7. An assembly according to claim 6, wherein the spring means areanchored in a complementary recess of the block means and are slidablein a complementary recess of the shank.

8. An assembly according to claim 7, wherein the recess is taperedtoward one of its upper and lower edges to facilitate removal of saidblock means and spring means from the opening in the shank.

9. A coupler shank and bearing block assembly comprising a coupler shankmember having an opening therethrough and having an arcuate face at therear extremity of said opening, a bearing block member movablypositioned in said opening and having an arcuate face complementary toand seated against the first-mentioned face, opposed arcuate surfaces onsaid members defining a pin hole, a substantially round opening in oneof the members, a coil spring complementary to said opening andpositioned therein for movement with said one member, said spring beingunder compression between the members on a compressional axis disposedforwardly of said faces.

l0. A coupler shank and bearing block assembly comprising a shank havingan opening therethrough, a bearing block unit in said opening seatedalong its rear face against a complementary vertically curved surface ofthe shank, said shank having a rear extremity curved both vertically andhorizontally, opposed horizontally curved surfaces on the unit andshank, respectively, in said opening and defining a pin holetherethrough, and spring means compressed between the unit and shankalong an axis passing through the unit between the hole and thefirst-mentioned surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,859,535 Schmidt et al. May 24, 1932 2,212,843 Metzger Aug. 27, 19402,254,302 Metzger Sept. 2, 1941 2,590,868 Kayler Apr. 1, 1952

